Freedom of Expression

Argumentative Essay # 6121

English > Argument
Film
Law > Constitution

A discussion of freedom of speech and expression in the film industry.

1,100 words () | 0 sources | 2002 United States

Paper Summary:

This essay discusses the validity of movies in which the directors come from a different background than that which the story is based upon (e.g. a white director directing a movie about African slaves). It moves on to talk about freedom of speech and expression.

From the Paper:

"I do not believe that it is mandatory for a movie depicting a certain race or culture should be directed by a person of the same ethnicity. However, a film such as Malcolm X gains more reliability as a result of Spike Lee directing it as opposed to someone like Ron Howard, who is about as white as they come. I am not saying that a white person is not capable of directing a movie focused on African Americans or visa versa, but the final product will appear more authentic. A black director like Spike Lee is able to directly relate to Malcolm X based upon firsthand experience of growing up as a black minority in the United States, just as Malcolm did. Whereas, on the other side of the spectrum, a white director will never fully comprehend what it is to be a minority in our country, and no matter how hard he/she tries, will never be able to put his/herself in a black person's shoes. Just as Francis Ford Coppola directed The Godfather trilogy, and Steven Spielberg directed Schindler's List, this assisted in increasing their credibility because, of course, Coppola is Italian, and Spielberg is Jewish. Therefore, the subject matter of these films hits closer to home to each director respectively, rather than if someone of different nationalities had been responsible for them. In the public eye, each film appears to be more realistic, and in turn, moviegoers are more apt to spend the money to go see them. Ponder over this one: If a white director had done Malcolm X, would the black population, who is aware of this, be more likely to go to the theater to see it than if a black director had been the mastermind behind it? Probably not."